February 6 - 10, 2023:
After a couple of weeks of organizing and bill filing, the legislative session kicked into a higher gear this week with several important developments. The week started with Governor Lee delivering his state of the state address on Monday night and presenting his budget priorities for FY 2024 (you can find the full text of the state of the state address HERE).
On Tuesday, Finance and Administration Commissioner Bryson gave an overview of the administration’s proposed budget to both the House and Senate Finance Committees (the complete proposed budget can be found HERE). On Wednesday, the House Transportation Subcommittee heard and recommended HB 321 which, as amended, will carry the language of the Lee Administration’s Transportation Modernization Act of 2023 - the central component of the Governor’s Build With Us initiative. You can find much more information about the initiative on the Dept. of Transportation’s website HERE.
Help on the Way for Highway Departments
The great news is that county highway departments would see both short term and long term funding benefits under the proposal. The county share of fuel tax revenues collected in the first six months of the current fiscal year is already $1 million less than this time a year ago. County highway departments are being squeezed between pressures from inflation and rising costs of fuel, materials and services on one side and flat or declining revenues due to greater fuel efficiencies with new vehicles and the growth in popularity of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on the other. Those factors are affecting gasoline and motor vehicle tax revenues, which are a primary funding source for many highway departments, and are eating into their purchasing power and the ability to adequately fund road maintenance at the county level.
The governor’s proposed budget includes a $300 million one-time investment in the State Aid Road program, which currently receives just $21 million each year. This amount equates to 15 times what is normally budgeted. The funding...
Read This Week's Capitol Update from TCSA
Check out TCSA’s new video recap of the week’s legislative developments
We’re launching a new feature this week to provide you with more info on the week that was. TCSA Executive Director David Connor gives a quick overview of the Governor’s proposed FY 2024 budget and discusses other major developments.
There is information about state revenues and expenditures as a whole, investments in transportation, education, state parks and natural areas, TCATS, public safety and more. Each week during the session we will try to post a short video discussing major developments for the week.
View this week's Capitol Update video
2023 County Government Day Agenda Now Available
TCSA's 2023 County Government Day agenda is now available! You can view the agenda through the button below. Also, there's still time to register for the event! Simply visit the TCSA website or register here.
View the County Government Day 2023 Agenda from TCSA
Join TCSA for Our 'Third Thursday'
Webinar on February 16th!
Join us to learn how cashVest, a TCSA-endorsed program, can help your county maximize the return on every tax dollar and better understand your county's cash flow & liquidity.
The presenter will be, William "Bill" Cherry, Director of Public Partnerships. William Cherry served for 24 years as a county chief financial officer responsible for managing and investing public funds, and for 20 years as a county budget officer. He can be reached by phone at 585-484-0311, ext. 709 or by email at wec@threeplusone.us.
Titled, “The Delta Factor: Increasing Your Counties Revenues,” threeplusone will be highlighting how the cashVest solution allows public entities to see more, so they can do more with their cash. It’ll also highlight how, on average, the platform has helped our clients invest 73% more cash confidently, resulting in substantial non-tax revenues for their entity.
This webinar will be part of TCSA's 'Third Thursday' webinar series, which will be held on the third Thursday of each month and feature various topics/resources to help your county government succeed.
Join the TCSA + cashVest webinar
TDOE, TERA Releases 2022 Tennessee Educator Survey Results
Nashville, TN [February 3, 2023]—The Tennessee Department of Education and Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) released key findings and responses from the 2022 Tennessee Educator Survey from more than 39,000 educators, totaling over half of the state’s educator population. Responses from the 2022 survey are vital to informing the state’s work on improving educator experiences in Tennessee. As a result of this input, the department is excited to examine new ways to attract and retain educators in the state.
This survey collects data to understand educator experiences to provide direct feedback that will inform decision-making on all key issues facing our schools and classrooms. In addition to questions exploring the instructional challenges due to COVID-related disruptions as in last year, this year’s survey included additional questions for educators to provide their perception related to tutoring and career and technical education (CTE).
State-, district-, and school-level data is now available on the survey results website and the Tennessee Educator Survey: 2022 Overview can be found here.
View the Full Release from TDOE and TERA
Upcoming Events
TCSA Third Thursday Webinar: ‘The Delta Factor: Increasing Your Counties Revenues’ in partnership with cashVest
February 16, 2023; Online via Zoom
TCSA County Government Day 2023
February 27 - 28, 2023; Nashville, TN
NACo Webinar: Reducing Jail Populations: Decreasing Bookings and/or Arrests through Diversion, Citations, and Warrant Avoidance & Resolution
March 2, 2023; Online
CTAS County Officials' Trainings Available Here